Montgomery man transitions from musician to artist

A painting by Craig Irvin titled, "Someone to Lean On," which just sold at the Gallery at the Madeley Building.

A painting by Craig Irvin titled, "Someone to Lean On," which just sold at the Gallery at the Madeley Building.

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A painting by Craig Irvin titled, "Someone to Lean On," which just sold at the Gallery at the Madeley Building.

A painting by Craig Irvin titled, "Someone to Lean On," which just sold at the Gallery at the Madeley Building.

Montgomery man transitions from musician to artist

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By Maggie Gutierrez / Art Talk

FROM A MUSICIAN TO A VISUAL ARTIST

Craig Irvin is a prolific painter and an area artist to watch. He began his career as a professional musician and songwriter, however, some years later Craig put aside his guitar, harmonica and pen for paints and a paintbrush. As he states, “I love music, but right now my creative energy is intensely focused on my paintings.”

Craig’s paintings are designed to create dreams that recall the American experience, values and “true love.” Though primarily “self-taught,” Craig has studied the works of “every painter from Giotto to Giacometti” through books and countless visits to museums. One needs only look at the two paintings he now has on display at the Gallery at the Madeley Building in downtown Conroe to see that amongst those artists whose work he studied, he was particularly influenced by the dream-like quality of paintings by the world-renown French painter Marc Chagall.

Clearly Craig’s work is already drawing attention in the area. Within two days of his first exhibit at the Gallery at the Madeley Building, he sold a painting. Craig’s work has for a number of years been juried into such Houston-area competitive venues as the annual Bayou City Arts Festival and The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival. Craig now lives and paints in Montgomery with his wife, Ping, also an accomplished artist. See more about Craig’s work on his website at CRAIGIRVIN.COM.

A BURNING PASSION FOR TEXAS WILDLIFE AND CULTURE

On Aug. 24, award-winning professional Texas wildlife and western artist, Jared Paul Wilson will headline the Conroe Art League’s next meeting with a demonstration on colored pencil drawing. Though Wilson began his interest in art at a young age, and he graduated with a fine arts degree from Midwestern State University, he says his two life-threatening battles with cancer “awoke a burning passion” to use his artistic ability to share his deep reverence for wildlife and Texas culture. While Wilson’s artwork, using “Prismacolor Premier Soft Cored” pencils, generates a high level of meticulously photo realistic detail, he hopes that the viewer goes beyond the sharp realism to experience some of his passion for what he feels makes the Lone Star state both unique and beautiful. Wilson has also written and illustrated a children’s book, “SHOE FLY, DON’T BOTHER ME,” for which he has recently been nominated for a “Moonbeam Award.” See Wilson’s website at JAREDPAULWILSON.COM for more about him and his artwork. The artistic demonstration and meeting will be held at the Gallery at the Madeley Building, 127 Simonton Street, Conroe. While the artistic demonstration will begin at 11 a.m., the league will also host an informal coffee get-together at 9:30 a.m., and an information sharing session starting at 10 a.m.

THE OBJECT IS THE THING

At noon on Sept. 5 the Mary Matteson-Parrish Art Gallery at Lone Star College - Montgomery will host a reception for accomplished “sculptural and functional ceramics” artist and teacher, Chanda Glendinning. Glendinning, temporarily in Texas as an artist in residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, creates ceramic pieces which sculpturally illustrate her fascination with the human need to connect with other humans, forming groups, cliques and clubs. Often using found objects in combination with multiple slip cast porcelain forms, Glendinning’s artwork seeks to illustrate how humans include, exclude, recognize and ignore each other, constantly reconfiguring social networks. Glendinning’s porcelain forms, created from re-purposed commercial molds or casts of common household items, become abstract formal objects that represent the “transition from the personal to the impersonal in our virtual interactions.” Her use of such materials as brightly colored acrylic knitted doilies act not only as a physical counterpoint to the smooth porcelain in material, color and form, but also create a conceptual contrast with their references to handicraft, nostalgia and an era before the internet, cell phones or “social networking.” Glendinning’s exhibit, titled “The Object is the Thing,” at the Mary Matteson-Parrish Art Gallery, runs Aug. 26 to Sept. 20. See more about this artist on her website at CHANDAGLENDINNING.COM.

CALL FOR ARTISTS - CONROE ART LEAGUE SEPT. 28 SHOW

The Conroe Art League’s annual fall judged show is Sept. 28 at the First Baptist Church of Conroe, 600 Main Street, Conroe. The show will be open to all area artists. For the first time in the league’s half- century of art shows, there will be no “walk-in” artwork accepted on show day. All artwork must be pre-registered. A special feature during the show will be a watercolor demonstration by A.J. Schnexnayder, a former winner of the State Texas Artist award and a signature member of both the American and National Watercolor Societies. See the “event” section of the Conroe Art League’s website at CONROEARTLEAGUE.COM for entry rules, registration and other relevant information.

Maggie Gutierrez is a local artist and member of the Conroe Art League. She may be reached at ggutmarina@aol.com.